In this installment of our Stencil Star™ series, we feature the incredible artist Gracie Reed of Grace Designs Dallas.  Based in Texas, she frequently designs spaces from ceiling to floor and incorporates her love of pattern and color with our wall stencils and stencil masking patterns in many of her design and decorative painting projects.

ABOUT GRACIE REED

Grace Designs in Dallas, Texas, offers a wide variety of of exquisite wall, ceiling, cabinetry, and mirror finishes. Gracie has been in business for over 10 years and always stays on the cutting edge of the most original and premier finishes. Gracie researches the latest products on the market and pattern application, antiquing mirrors, cabinetry, and putting a modern twist on antiques are part of her specialties.

Our Hearst Castle Stencil Collection for Modello™ Designs is in VERY good hands! A black and gold treatment goes über-glam with both a Hearst Panel Stencil (HearstPan108) and Hearst Allover Stencil (HearstAll100) designs. Gorgeous!

How do you determine which pattern will work for your project?

Usually, I can determine the pattern design for a project after understanding the client’s taste and viewing the selected areas of the job.  After paying attention to the existing furniture, bed linens, art, flooring, etc., I study Melanie’s stencil patterns and compose the perfect fit.

Sensational furniture piece showcasing Gracie’s flair for balance, color and pattern! On this Japanese cabinet, she used one of our Modello® Designs Exotic East Stencil Panels with a beautiful color scheme.

What are your favorite surfaces to work on and design for?

Applying Italian plasters with Modello® Designs Stencils on ceilings is the ultimate for me! There is no end to the creative possibilities of types of surfaces, product mediums and Melanie’s designs!!!

Shimmery, elegant groin ceilings featuring a wonderful plaster treatment along with Modello® Designs Ornamental Center stencils (OrnCen193).

 Jaw-dropping ceiling — but isn’t the whole room just lovely?  Green and golds make for a perfect compliment to the room and she used a Modello® Designs Exotic East Corner vinyl stencil (EasCor102) to complete the treatment.

How does stenciling enhance your creative business?

Since starting my business in 2001, I have been constantly exploring every medium in the creative field to extend my sample portfolio for my clients. Every client has a unique design style, so the finishes have to be customized for that project. By using both Royal Design Studio mylar stencils and Modello® Design masking stencils, I can easily produce a “one-of-a-kind” appearance. At least 50% of my projects include stencil applications. They can transform an attractive finish into an exquisite form of art! Many of my retail antiques are adorned with stencil patterns to achieve a distinctive impression. All of my floors and mirrors can only be accomplished by using Modello® Designs Stencils.

Gracie creates stenciled canvas & mirror artworks as well. She frequently uses custom Modello™ Designs Stencils to fit the surface and style of each of her art and mirror pieces.

We are thrilled to share Gracie’s work with you!  We’re so appreciative of having someone so talented using our stencil patterns so creatively. Be sure to visit Gracie’s website, Grace Designs Dallas, to see more of her incredible work and you can also find her on both Pinterest and Houzz.  Don’t forget that you can pin these pictures for inspiration and follow us on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter, too!

Our customers are ALWAYS finding new and creative ways to combine decorative paint techniques with ornamental patterns and stencil designs on unique surfaces. We like to applaud these innovative artists in our Stencil Star™ series, which seeks to showcase creative artists worldwide and their inspired work. Today we feature the fun and lively Kathy Wear of Artistic Finishes in Tennessee!

ABOUT KATHY WEAR

Kathy Wear is the owner of Artistic Finishes in Tennessee.  Artistic Finishes specializes in custom wall finishes and hand troweled plasters as well as murals and decorative concrete.  Kathy has won numerous awards over the last 10 years including six awards for Best Faux Finish from the Middle Tennessee Builders Association for her work in the Parade of Homes. She was recently named one of the top three decorative concrete artists in Nashville. Her work has also been published in many local and national  publications and also been featured on Southern Homes and Lifestyles TV.

Fabulous ceiling she stenciled with a custom Modello™ Designs stencil pattern and a great color scheme!

What draws you to Stenciling?

I am drawn to stenciling because I can really customize the work I do for my clients as I try to never do the same finish twice.  My clients love the fact that they have something unique to their home.  Over the past few years I have done many stenciled ceilings and more recently I have done quite a few floors.  Doing a stenciled ceiling or floor can add a very dramatic focal point to a room and turn a plain space into something fabulous.

Kathy creates Custom Commodes™ for her clients which use metallic foils and leaf combined with our Modello™ Designs vinyl stencils!

How does Stenciling enhance your creative business?

What I love about stenciling and using Modello® Designs masking stencils is that I can talk with my clients and designers and get a sense of what they are looking for in the space and then create a drawing and send it to the Modello team. They customize it into a beautiful work of art and I use this to create exactly what my client wants.  The last floor project I completed was a joy to work on!  I worked with Melissa at Modello Designs to do a large custom border stencil on a very irregular shaped alter floor and it fit like a dream.

This stunning faux marble floor was created with a concrete overlay, one of our Modello™ Designs Ornamental Tile vinyl stencil designs (OrnTil180) for the large center element and additional custom designs.

Please share your top Stenciling Tips with us.

My top tips for stenciling are, number one DON’T be intimidated!!  It is not hard to do.  Once you get in the swing of things it progresses very quickly.  If you are using a Modello® Designs masking stencil, be sure to have you measurements correct. If you get these right, your stencil should lay down quite easily.  Any small gaps or errors that may occur can quickly be corrected by a bit of blue tape.  If I don’t personally prepare my substrate, I always roll on a quick coat of Guardz as this way I can be assured that the stencil will pull off quickly and cleanly.  A second pair of hands and eyes  is always helpful when laying the stencil.  So, try it!  My favorite part of all is when I pull the stencil and reveal the beautiful design!

Kathy is no stranger to glam, custom works! You can see her unique treatment above with an Ornamental Stencil border (OrnBor125) around a niche and below with a canvas created with a Modello™ Designs vinyl motif stencil from our Art Deco Collection (DecMot120).

We hope you’ve enjoyed seeing Kathy’s beautiful work and inspiring creativity with both our Royal Design Studio stencils and Modello® Designs masking patterns!  You can find more of her work in her Artistic Finishes website!  If you’d like continued inspiration, don’t forget to visit our Pinterest boards filled with design, pattern and finish ideas and our Facebook fan page for stencil projects and more!

 Another fantastic  Stencil Stars™ showcase! Our latest Stencil Star is Texas-based Heather Sanders of 5th Wall Surface Design, an incredibly talented artist who applies stenciled design patterns in creative ways on various surfaces.  We’re proud to feature her stenciled decorative painting projects! We love to share our customer’s use of our Royal Design Studio mylar wall stencils and Modello™ masking stencils on walls, ceilings, floors and more and are always looking for new artist’s to feature. Don’t be shy…..shoot us an email with YOUR projects and you could see yourself featured here too!

This outstanding feature arch and wall had a little help from a Modello® Designs Eastern Border vinyl stencil (EasBor344) along with handpainted elements and Swarovski crystals! We love the dreamy colors and find this a great way to accent a nice niche!

ABOUT HEATHER SANDERS

Heather has been working in the decorative arts industry for over 10 years now.  She and her partner Sam manage their decorative finish studio, 5th Wall Surface Design.  They enjoy the interaction with their clients almost as much as they love the work they do! Based in Rollingswood, Texas, their company offers a full-range of decorative and stencil finishes.

Stunning Modello™ Designs Marquetry finish using our MarqAll105 pattern — you can see how amazing the results are! You can learn this faux marquetry technique for wood, cork and more with our fab tutorial manual.

What draws you to Stenciling?

I will admit that when I first started in the decorative painting world, I refused to use stencils.  I felt that it was “cheating” in a way.  And I spent hours laboriously hand painting the same scrolls and flowers that I now employ in my stencil work.  At some point, it occurred to me that despite the cost of the stencils, I could save a LOT of money on labor, and also achieve a very clean, exact design.

After our first custom order,  I was hooked!  I also realized that I could add hand painted detail to the stencil work, but not spend hours measuring and making templates.  I love the ease of use and the fact that I can achieve a beautiful “custom” work of art in a matter of hours now with Modello® Designs.

(above) An incredible ceiling that add depth and size with pattern!  A Modello™ Designs Ornamental Center vinyl stencil was used with a wonderful neutral color scheme! (below) A different Modello® ornamental center stencil pattern graces a ceiling with a striking color scheme.  You can see how Heather uses color and pattern expertly to add great interest and dimension to spaces and places that are calling out for attention!

How do you determine which pattern will work for your project?

There are many factors that influence our pattern choice.  Of course, the customer’s style is first and foremost.  We take into account the scale of the room and area to be embellished.  We also look at repetitive patterns occurring in the drapery, floors, furniture, etc…  I also have certain stencils that have become my “go to” designs when all else fails.

The Large Feathered Damask stencil from the Allover Ethnic Stencils Collection adds fantastic color and pattern to this space. Heather used a “drop shadow” stencil technique to add extra dimension to this look. Find out how to create a drop shadow stencil technique on our website here!

Please share your top Stenciling tip with us.

My favorite method (right now) is to do a base of plaster, because it seals up the stencil and doesn’t bleed like paints and glazes do.  It  adds a beautiful dimension to the design.  It also gives me a raised surface to add hand painted work to, which cuts down on the touch ups.

(above) One of our Modello™ Designs Ornamental Center stencils (OrnCen170) pulls double duty! On the left is a beautiful plastered hood and the right has the design stenciled onto glass. (below) An incredible rusted dome ceiling created with Modern Masters Metal Effects products and our Floral Medallion Stencil Set B.

Heather and Sam of 5th Wall Surface Design are truly creative with patterns on any surface and we always love to see their gorgeous work with our stencil designs!  Do be sure to keep up with them on their Facebook page, 5th Wall Surface Design.  Many thanks to them both for sharing their finishes and projects with both our Royal Design Studio stencils and our Modello vinyl stencil patterns!

Don’t forget to pin these images to your boards for inspiration — and check out our Pinterest collection of design, pattern and finish ideas! You can always catch great new projects in our Facebook page, too!

When I created Modello® Designs back in 2003, my goal was to offer an alternate to our Royal Design Studio traditional mylar stencils for applying customized pattern for both the decorative finishing and design communities. The introduction of these one-time-use vinyl stencils would allow for projects to become more time effective and yet deliver an extraordinary amount of design detail, and offer pattern application to almost any surface. Since then, I’ve enjoyed seeing gorgeous artistry from artists around the world,  but I do have to say that I really pleased to see this stenciled columns project by Suzanne Pratt of Toronto’s Venetian Studios. It got rave reviews when we posted it on our Facebook Page, so thought it would be great to share more pics and go into a little more detail here~

Suzanne worked closely with James in our graphic design department to design a pattern that nicely wrapped the large concrete columns to create an uninterrupted design. Of course, the flexibility and adhesive quality of the Modello® vinyl made for a super easy pattern installation!

The pattern was a custom-made design for Suzanne’s commercial client, Spot Coffee. Suzanne used a coffee-colored plaster finish to enhance the pattern on the concrete columns. Hmmm, wonder where they got their color idea from??

Isn’t this a fantastic and inspired idea for a unique column finish?  Suzanne did a beautiful job of creating an eye-catching and unforgettable surface that warms up this space like a cup of coffee warms my tummy.  Please be sure to visit her Venetian Studios website and check out her Facebook business page.  Don’t forget to pin and share Suzanne’s lovely work as well! Like I said above, it was one of the most popular shares EVER in our Royal Design Studio Facebook fan page.

Even if you don’t have columns to decorate, you can get TONS of ideas for how to use our Modello® masking stencils on all sorts of surfaces. We published 2 volumes of books of our customer images called Modello by Design. Volume 1 is now almost sold out (so, yeah, you should hurry), Modello by Design,Volume 2 is equally awesome (so, yeah, get both ).

If you’d like more visual inspiration for more traditional stencil designs and decorating, please visit our Pinterest boards and consider becoming a part of our artistic community boards where tons of great visuals are shared daily! We also have creative project features in our Stencil Ideas blog which showcase our stencil collections and designs. Happy painting!

Our Stencil Stars™ series  featuring artists around the world who use our stenciled designs and decorative paint techniques in unique, wonderful ways — and North Carolina artist Lauren Gaines is no exception. Her love of ornamental patterns shines through as she frequently uses our Royal Design Studio stencil patterns and Modello® masking stencils in her many fabulous design projects. 

INTRODUCING LAUREN GAINES….

Lauren has been interested in color, design and texture throughout her life.  She was first introduced to faux painting approximately 20 years ago in the age of the dreaded “sponge painting”.  She initially learned many of her skills “on the job”, as this was pre-internet age when not every bit of info could be found at the tips of googling fingers.  She began her professional studio, Designs in Paint, 17 years ago and worked with a local artisan who opened her eyes to the many possibilities of decorative painting and helped further her love of painting.  Since that time, Lauren takes an average of two decorative finishing studio workshops per year to bring cutting edge products and technologies to her market-in addition to creating and developing her own signature finishes.  Every wall and ceiling is her canvas and she showcases her passion to each of her clients.

Above: Lauren used multi-colored plasters and stenciled in the Modello™ Designs Ornamental Center stencil (OrnCen120) with stained gold leaf to beautifully finish the barrel ceiling. Below: A stylish and elegantly worn plaster finish incorporating our Fabric Damask stencil in a beautiful “faded” colorway! The Fabric Damask is one of the patterns from our popular Allover Damask Stencil Collection. Aren’t these colors divine?!?

What draws you to Stenciling?

I love the effect that both pattern and texture can have on a room.  On most of my more elaborate finishes,  I use a combination of the two.   I create a separate complementary backdrop finish before the application of traditional stencils or Modello™ Designs vinyl stencils.  I also love the ability to create custom looks and alter the patterns easily. More times than not, I will alter the original design repetition to suit the scale of the room, building a finish from the ground up. On a personal note, I actually find the process of stenciling relaxing; the repetition and rhythm focuses the mind away from the daily grind.

A striking allover wallpaper design is achieved by an incredible application of our Modello™ Designs Eastern Allover vinyl stencils (EasAll158) in a bath. Chic and unforgettable!

Please share your top Stenciling tip with us.

My top stenciling tip would be to recommend using a variety of mediums on the same stencil application.  The mix of these products creates a more complex finish overall.  I often have combinations that include metallic plasters with gilt creams, tints or full bodies plasters to my finishes.  Sometimes I will even over-glaze them, adding yet another layer of depth. I love the way the glaze captures the mediums differently.

The Florentine Damask stencil helps complete a creamy, dreamy plaster wall finish above. In the room below, the ceiling has a Modello™ Designs Ornamental Ceiling stencil pattern (OrnCen162a) and the lovely plaster walls are once again stenciled with our Florentine Damask design. Beautiful!

(Lauren cont.) I’d also be happy to share my newest “favorite find.”  After years of wishing and wanting, I located a fantastic 5-point self leveling laser from Bosch (Model # GPL5C) for use on ceiling and walls.  The $300 price tag paid for itself on my first Modello™  stencil ceiling after the purchase by shortening the installation from a few hours to mere minutes. It not only saved me time and money, but more importantly, gave me peace of mind that all my design elements were installed perfectly.

Installing a Modello stencil with the Bosch Laser

 How does Stenciling enhance your creative business?

The use of both mylar and Modello® vinyl stencils has literally revolutionized my business.  Prior to their inception,  I was fond of saying “I can’t even paint a stick figure.”  I would often refer potential clients to other decorative painters or muralists whenever someone wanted any type of ornamentation.  The now endless choices in design and scale ensures me the ability to customize every project for my clients.  The use of Modello’s transformed the industry allowing the application of otherwise “off limits” products such as glass beads and gold leaf to be used effectively in design. Furthermore the availability of the pro-series stencils, brushes and custom-made stencils has allowed me to maximize my time and profits.

With Modello™ Designs vinyl stencils, the patterns can be custom-sized to fit both the shape and size of your surface. Lauren took advantage of this option while tackling both a barrel ceiling (above) and a coffered ceiling (below). They were both stenciled with gold leaf for a luxe effect.

We hope you’ve enjoyed seeing yet another amazing Stencil Star and delving into Lauren’s beautiful work !  Please do visit her website, Designs in Paint, to find more information and projects. You can also find her on Pinterest and of course, we invite you to pin her wonderful, inspiring work.

Find more inspiring stencil and paint ideas and projects by keeping up with us on our Pinterest and Facebook page!

I am so pleased to share a fabulously fashionable guest post today from one of my favorite decorative artists, bloggers, and friends, Regina Garay! Regina regularly shares her inspirational take on design and decorative painting and design on her drool-worthy Fauxology blog and Facebook page. How lucky we are that she stops by here today to talk about two of her great passions: fashion and pattern. Design trends are all about fashion, and stencils are all about design, so let’s get Regina’s take on how to translate the latest runway looks into designer-inspired surfaces for a fashionable home using stencils from Royal Design Studio and masking stencils from Modello Designs .

There is a thin line between Stencils and Fashion for me.  When I see a gorgeous mix of pattern and color on designer wear I always think “How can I translate that feel onto a surface with a stencil?”.  My mind is never far from decorative painting, can you tell?  I think that’s a good thing!

Lately, I’ve seen quite a bit of Stencil-licious inpiration and thought to share these with you.  We start off with one of my favorite color combinations, blue & white.  It’s so crisp and makes such a strong graphic statement, too.

I love how the Christian Dior gown above gives wonderful color palette inspiration for a stencil border while the Oscar de la Renta dress below can be used as an idea for a feature wall using a Foliate Allover graphic vinyl stencils from Modello Designs. You can see Ivanka Trump wearing this beauty of the cover of Elle Decor.

A neutral color scheme is also wonderful, as seen below.

For clients who love creams, off-whites or golden taupes, I think the above showcases how the color palette can be used when combined with patterns. The design reminds me a bit of the Donatella Damask stencil, one of my favorites.  It would be lovely on a ceiling! The Balenciaga dress below brings together ebony white, pearls, pewter and bronzes in a sophisticated, elegant way.  The Romanesque Frieze Classic Border stencil would be wonderful here.

Who can forget the glory of color? Sophie Theallet gives an idea on combining bright shades with allover designs. I can easily see the Cordova Allover wall stencil from the Allover Damask collection here.

We wrap up with my favorite “color” — I love to wear black and have used it for both several clients and my own home. Ferragamo shows us the classic pairing of gold and black below.  In my eye, I see a raised singular motif pattern with two-color striations or a little bling on top with metallic foils, shimmers or leaf.

Oscar de la Renta shows us how amazing lighter tones can be over a dark background, above.  I could easily see using the Vase & Pearls Allover stencil for a surface interpretation.  You can see more color combinations and adaptations with this particular fabric in the Terrier and Lobster blog post.  I also love the depth of the Aquilano e Rimondi dress below as photographed by Marcus Tondo for Style.com.  Maybe an ombre finish over a shimmer gray-green background and a custom Modello™ Designs motif vinyl stencil on top?  Yes, please.

I firmly believe patterns can make any surface immensely better.  Imagine the above designs all in solid colors without patterns – it’s the added creativity that makes them that much more special, no?  In addition to actual physical surfaces, you can also stencil designs onto clothing as well to help give a little oomph.  Can’t forget that!  Let me know what you think of these ideas and which one pops out the most to you!  I’d be very curious to know.  Have a wonderful day!

Thanks Regina! What a fabulous mix of color, pattern, design, and ideas here! Maybe YOUR next decorating project is waiting for you in your closet-or better yet-at the mall!

Our guest blogger today was Regina Garay, who writes the informative Fauxology blog and runs the creative SociaComm digital media company.  She is also involved in her family’s decorative finishing business, Garay Artisans and stay up with current fashion AND design trends on her Pinterest page, of course. 

In sunny Tampa, Florida, we come upon a studio giving a new, inspired second life to furniture pieces.  Stiltskin Studios combine creative decorative paint techniques with lively ornamental patterns and stencil designs.  We’re so happy to feature their work for our Stencil Star™ series, which seeks to showcase creative artists and their inspired work.

ABOUT STILTSKIN STUDIOS

Michele and Kenny Hiley of Stiltskin Studios are a husband and wife design team who have both made creativity a priority in their lives. They re-imagined many items for their homes and once their friends laid eyes on the possibilities, a business (along with an Etsy shop) was born! Although they offer a full-service design studio, their passion is to take vintage and antique furniture and transform them to fit into a more modern home. Their name was inspired by the fairy tale Rumplestiltskin because he turned a seemingly worthless object, straw, into Gold.  They like to do the same with cast-aside furniture and uninspired interiors!

Gorgeous dresser transformed with Chalk Paint™ decorative paint in Florence, our Cherry Blossoms stencil and Royal stencil cremes!

How do you determine which pattern will work for your project?

So many things influence our decision on which stencil to use…sometimes, it’s as simple as using a stencil as a fun accent, such as the Cherry Blossoms we used on a dresser face…other times, it’s to add interest to something that is mundane, like the leaves on a dining table. Often times, we will have a theme in mind…a general direction, such as a Parisian Apartment or a French Chateau feel, that helps guide our decision; other times, we utilize stencils to do something completely unexpected, like a Moroccan inspired tabletop on a French Provincial table.

Frequently, we’ll be painting a piece when out of nowhere, inspiration strikes and suddenly, we decide to incorporate a stencil that was not in the initial design plan. Painting, for us, is a very organic experience. We enjoy the process and stencils are another bespoke element to make each piece truly special.

This lovely and artistic dining room set was painted with Chalk Paint™ and our Small Ribbon Damask stencil on the leaves. We love this inspired idea and so we featured it here on our Stencil Ideas blog.

Please share your top Stenciling tip with us.

A very wise and charming faux painting artist taught me to make sure all the excess paint was removed from my brush before I applied it to the stencil. That seemingly small tip brought us both over from not being huge stencil fans to wanting to stencil everything!

Additionally, there is no substitute for proper tools. They make the job go so much smoother and help ensure perfect results. Cheap tools typically beget cheap looking results!

What would be your “dream” stencil project?

Right now, I’m dreaming about stenciling my kitchen cabinets! We completed the upper cabinets last year (removing the doors to create open shelving) but the lowers are still hideous 1970’s brown laminate. I’m quite excited to have the option to stencil them…we feel the project will be very much representative of us and our style.

Stiltskin upcycled this vintage find with both our Paris Postage Stamp Wall Stencil and Postmark Wall Stencil! Unexpected and beautiful.

How does stenciling enhance your creative business?

My husband and partner, Kenny, has an art degree and is a skilled fine artist; I, on the other hand, can barely paint a straight line. I have much more imagination than skill when it comes to the details of hand painting. Stencils really allow me to create what I’ve imagined. I’m also slightly lazy, so I’ll not make the effort to put a design on the projector, sketch it on the piece, and then hand-paint the intricate design. Stencils alleviate all that work for me. Royal Design Studio stencils really are simple to use, the results are consistent, and I look like a creative genius when it’s all done! Because they are so durable, we can mix it up with different colors and looks using the same stencil. They’ve enabled me to bring my creative vision to life!

So stylish! This hutch was updated with our popular Springtime in Paris lettering stencil, metallic stencil cremes and Chalk Paint™!

We hope you’ve enjoyed the beautiful fairy-tale stylings of Stiltskin Studios.  Do be sure to check their Facebook page and their wonderful blog, too! Please feel free to pin these pics to keep sharing the creative love of pattern and paint!  You can always follow our Pinterest account as well for design and pattern inspiration and keep up with us on Facebook and Instagram, too!

We travel to Houston, Texas to meet with Leslie Sinclair of Segreto Finishes.  She heads a large studio team that tackles beautiful decorative paint finishes combined with lovely ornamental patterns and stencil designs.  We’re proud to feature her for our Stencil Star™ series, which seeks to showcase creative artists and feature their inspired work using our Royal Design Studio mylar stencils and Modello Decorative Masking Stencils. 

Leslie Sinclair

ABOUT SEGRETO FINISHES

The world of decorative painting is limitless, ever-changing and richly complex. Finishes for walls, ceilings, floors and cabinetry are crucial to the embodiment of a home’s character. Leslie lives by the philosophy that upon entering a room, your eyes should not draw a distinction to one element or finish but should see the surroundings as a whole. By developing a palette that complements a home’s architecture and design, surroundings are given a new perspective.

Graduating from the University of Texas with a business degree, Leslie left her corporate job in 1995 to start Segreto Finishes, naming the company after her husband’s family. Segreto, which means secret in Italian, rolls up all of Leslie’s passions — architecture, interior design, art, people and business– into her idea of the perfect job. Leslie’s talent for color, bringing innovative products to Houston, hiring and training a quality staff and working with people on their individual needs, built Segreto’ s reputation.

With a staff of 25 artisans, the company has become a premier finish design firm with work featured in numerous publications including Veranda, Traditional Home, House Beautiful, Country French, Elegant Homes, Beautiful Homes and Beautiful Baths, to name a few. Leslie also regularly contributes to Antique Shops and Designers magazine.

Inspired by all aspects of artistic painting, she owns an art gallery, Segreto Studios, and writes a blog, Secrets of Segreto, about interiors, art and finishes. She also wrote her first book Segreto: The Secrets to Finishing Beautiful Interiors, a wonderful reference book for anyone interested in home design.

Our Florentine Damask stencil from our Allover Damask Collection shimmers in this elegant powder bath! The palette, stencil pattern scale and design are perfect.

What draws you to Stenciling?

Stenciling is a great way to give a uniform pattern for a wallpaper look while being able to customize colors to the clients decor.

Here is our Fortuny stencil graces the walls in an allover pattern to create a custom wallppaper effect. Such a lovely fabric finish!

How do you determine which pattern will work for your project?

The scale of the room, the fabrics, rug, and the clients personal style dictate which patterns I feel will work best in the room.

Our Moorish Trellis stencil adds just the right amount of pattern and interest to an elegant, neutral design.

Please share your top Stenciling tip with us. 

I typically mix Floetrol in the paint when the client wants a more inconsistent look to the pattern.

Our ever-popular Large Entwined Trellis stencil was the choice by Lucas Eilers Design Associates for this lovely powder bath.

How does stenciling enhance your creative business?

It allows me to cost effectively give a multitude of different all over wallpaper looks or ceiling treatments to clients that are custom in color and embellishment to their room. Wallpaper has exact color ways and each run is exactly the same.  With stenciling, no two rooms will ever be just alike giving each client a one of a kind look.

An inspired take on our Kyoto Allover stencil from our Allover Japanese Stencils Collection finds hand-painted elements over the design pattern. The result is a whimsical, artistic finish for a lovely space.

Leslie and her team do extraordinary work but as you can see, they also do neutral very well!  Please do check out the Segreto website to see more of of their projects as well as their Facebook page.  They frequently share their fantastic projects via their Secrets of Segreto blog, too.

Don’t forget to pin these pics and keep sharing the creative love!  Do see more visual inspiration and other creative projects, you can always follow our Pinterest account as well as keep up with us on Facebook and NOW you can also follow Royal Design Studio stencils on Instagram!

The love of patterns and stencil designs coupled with beautiful decorative paint treatments have led us to discover  many creative artists worldwide. Our Stencil Star™ series seeks to showcase these artists and feature their beautiful work. This week we travel to Pennsylvania to see and learn about a few lovely spaces created by  Bernadette Forese of The Faux Pro.

Bernadette Forese

ABOUT THE FAUX PRO

Bernadette Forese is the owner and founder of The Faux Pro, LLC and Philadelphia Gilding, both based in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. She has a BS degree in Business Management and received professional faux and decorative arts training from international master artists in studios around the world. Her work has been showcased in design homes and in national design magazines.  Bernadette opened her business in 2002 and she recognized early on the importance of incorporating pattern and style in to the design.  She relies heavily on her ability to understand the spatial relationship between form, function and purpose of each space.  Bernadette primarily works on entire homes, large-scale commercial and church projects and brings in her talented crew to assist with them.  Although her business is based in Pennsylvania, she travels the country to her client’s homes and businesses.

Bernadette was at an Art of Living event where Barb Skivington and I taught a reverse gilded glass finish. Here, she uses the technique on a gorgeous tabletop with a Modello™ Designs Ornamental Border vinyl stencil (OrnBor147). The how-to for this verre eglomise techniqueis available in the Art of Living book.

How do you determine what patterns will work for a project?

Sometimes there are so many pattern options that the choices can be overwhelming.  When determining what pattern will look great in a space, I take many things in to consideration.  What is the function of the space?  Formal entertainment, casual elegance, etc.  What is the natural light in the space and when does it hit?  How tall are the ceilings?  Is this a commercial space or residential space?  And, most importantly, what is the design dilemma that we’re trying to solve?  For example, if there are two chandeliers over one large kitchen island, then unifying them with a pattern on the ceiling brings the whole space together.  I look through many magazines to get inspiration for pattern but, to be honest, I rely on following Melanie Royals’ blog and her other social media sites for inspiration.  I look at the scale of my project and project what different patterns would look like.

A spectacular kitchen with the design dilemma of unifying double chandeliers in one space. Bernadette used two Modello™ Design Ornamental Center vinyl stencil patterns (OrnCen187) to connect and bring the space together!  Composite gold and aluminum leaf were used to stencil in the patterns.

Please share your top Stenciling tip with us. 

Spray Adhesive or water in a spray bottle! If I’m stenciling with paints, many times I won’t use any spray adhesive; just tape to keep the stencil in place and an off-loaded foam roller.  However, sometimes if I’m getting bleed through I’ll grab my water bottle and spray the back of the stencil (just a mist) and the stencil will stay put on the wall!  If I’m doing a texture through the stencil, however, I’ll use spray adhesive (3M Super 77) every time.  And then Simple Green is one of my best friends; it removes everything that gets stuck to the stencil!

(above) The Pear and Plum Botanical Fruit stencil used in elegant, traditional setting. You can see the close-up of the stencil on the right hand side. This was another project that Bernie worked on with us at the Art of Living event. (below) The interior designer on the project, June Shea of Shea Studio Interiors, chose the  Elegancia Allover wall stencil in a 2-story residential entryway gracing all the walls perfectly.  Composition gold Schabin leaf was used to stencil the design and then waxed to seal it with the blue wall color coming through the broken leaf.

What are your favorite surfaces to work on and design for?

I actually love working on floors and ceilings.  Of course walls are fantastic, too!  However, applying stenciled pattern to the floor is creative and fun and, when done properly in conjunction with a flooring company, has the longevity and durability of any hardwood floor because the pattern and paints are nestled under the layers of protective topcoat from the flooring company.  Ceilings, too, are great spaces!  They’re perfect, in my opinion, because they don’t have the traditional interruptions (door frames, window frames, etc) that normal walls have so the pattern can flow uninterrupted.

Custom Modello™ Designs vinyl stencils were used to create the illusion of a rug on the flooring in a residence (above) and incorporate a client’s logo in a commercial lobby (below).

We hope you’ve enjoyed seeing the lovely stencil work of Bernadette Forese and I want to second those tips on using spray adhesive and Simple Green to clean your stencils!  Be sure to visit both her websites, The Faux Pro, LLC and Philadelphia Gilding, to see many more of her projects.  She also has a Facebook page where she shares the work of both her studios.

Do be sure to follow us on Facebook to see our fresh and daily stencil and creative inspirations as well as follow us on Pinterest to preview all our fave images incorporating pattern, design and color.  We would LOVE for you keep the inspiration flowing and to pin or share these pics with your friends and followers!

Last year, the fabulously talented Mandi Gubler of Vintage Revivals invited Royal Design Studio Stencils to be part of an inspiring project called the Epic Room Makeover 2011.  Haven’t heard of it yet? The Epic Room Makeover concept invites bloggers to submit a very “needy” room in their home with the hope (and hope includes all manner of creative begging and pleading) that they will be in the running to win the prize of a very merry whirlwind Mandi makeover.

Last year’s winner received an amazing makeover filled with clever projects, including this wall stenciling with our Endless Moorish Circles Stencil.

And guess what? The contest is back and continuing to raise the design-blogging bar. Royal Design Studio and our designer stencils are in wonderful company again, THIS time with Lowe’s, HomeGoods, 3M, and Krylon in sponsoring this makeover that will be given away to one lucky reader with a room in major need of a facelift.

Do you have a room that could use a Cinderella treatment? There’s still time to enter. Head over to the Epic Room Makeover Giveaway Contest 2012 page to read all the deets and submit your entry. Deadline for submissions is September 6! Even if you don’t enter, you can still have fun perusing the room entries with titles such as “Master Disaster” and “Not Smitten with My Kitchen“. Then follow along with the contest to vote for the finalists and see the results of Mandi’s Magic! We can’t wait to see what this year’s EPIC-ness entails!